Order online, pick up at a licensed dealer in Alachua County. Gainesville is the University of Florida's city in the rolling pine and live-oak country of north-central Florida. Alachua County dealers run the FDLE check and the county's five-day waiting period.
Pick an FFL dealer near you that accepts shipped transfers and name it at checkout. We confirm their license and ship the firearm to them. Ammunition, optics and parts ship straight to your door where Florida law allows.
To buy any firearm from a Florida dealer you must be 21 or older and pass an FDLE background check at the dealer when you pick up. Handgun buyers must be Florida residents under federal law. State law sets a waiting period of three business days, or until the check clears if later, on all dealer sales; Concealed Weapon License holders, trade-ins and long-gun buyers with a hunter safety card are exempt, and some counties, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Alachua and Hillsborough, set five days. Triggers, barrels, slides, sights, uppers and magazines are parts and ship to your Florida address with no check and no wait.
Dealers in these communities all work for Gainesville-area buyers:
Since July 2023 anyone who meets the eligibility rules for a Florida Concealed Weapon License may carry a concealed handgun without one, carrying valid ID. Open carry has been lawful since the September 2025 appeals ruling in McDaniels, which the state did not appeal, and since June 2026 adults of 18 to 20 may apply for the licence. The licence is still issued by the FDACS Division of Licensing, with applications at many Alachua County Tax Collector offices; it adds reciprocity and skips the three-day wait. Courthouses, schools, polling places and the other places listed in section 790.06 stay off limits.
Florida splits deer hunting into Zones A, B, C and D with different calendars: Zone A in the south opens general gun in September, Zone C in early November and Zone B not until December. Centerfire rifles, shotguns, handguns and muzzleloaders are legal for deer and rimfire is not; antler rules follow the deer management unit around Alachua County. Wild hogs on private land may be taken year-round with landowner permission and no licence, which is why AR uppers, short barrels and threaded pistol barrels sell so well here. Check the FWC season pages for the current zone dates.
Alachua County is in Zone C with general gun from early November; Lochloosa and Paynes Prairie are close, and the county sets its own five-day waiting period on dealer sales.
The Ocala forest range is the nearest FWC rifle facility, and the surrounding counties are classic deer and turkey country for the bolt guns and ARs we sell parts for.
These public ranges are run by or with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, several of them on wildlife management areas and national forests. Fees, hours and supervision differ, so check each range page before you go; Cecil M. Webb needs a management-area permit or a day entry fee.
Source: FWC-Managed Public Shooting Ranges list, September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.
Yes. Order here, name a licensed FFL dealer in Alachua, Newberry, High Springs, Gainesville or anywhere in Alachua County, and we ship the firearm to them. You fill out ATF Form 4473 at their counter and they run the background check.
Yes. Triggers, barrels, slides, sights, grips, springs, uppers and magazines are parts, not firearms; they ship to any Florida address with no background check and no waiting period. Only complete firearms and serialized frames go to a dealer.
No. Florida has no purchase permit. You must be 21, pass the FDLE check at the dealer and wait three business days unless you hold a Concealed Weapon License or another exemption applies; Alachua County may set five days.
Yes, if you meet the same eligibility rules as a licence applicant and carry valid ID. Open carry has also been lawful since the 2025 appeals ruling. Prohibited places still apply.
Many owners keep one because it is honoured in a number of other states, it skips the three-day wait, and since June 2026 it is open to adults of 18 to 20.
Every listing names the platform, model, generation and pin or thread size where the maker publishes them. Our AR, 1911 and Glock guides cover the fitment rules for each.
Florida deer are small-bodied and most shots in pine and palmetto cover are under 150 yards, so a .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 or .30-30 is plenty, or an AR upper in .300 Blackout or 6.5 Grendel. Check the FWC zone dates for Alachua County.
Each dealer sets its own fee, commonly $20 to $75. Call before you order to confirm the price and that they accept firearms shipped from an online store.
General information, not legal advice. Rules current as of September 2026. See our Florida gun law overview and check with FDACS Division of Licensing (applications at many Alachua County Tax Collector offices) or a local attorney about your own situation.